Stories By Jamie Smith

• Sport

  Who makes our best XI of the Champions League group stage?

  This season’s Champions League saw thrills and spills such as Manchester United losing to Young Boys but most of the teams expected to make it through booked places in the last 16. Some surprising stars emerged over the last couple of months, though, so here is the best XI of the group stage of this season’s  Champions League.

• Sport

  3 issues for Ralf Rangnick to address at Manchester United

  Ralf Rangnick was not included among most articles detailing the likely contenders to take charge of Manchester United on a temporary basis, but the Old Trafford club sprung a surprise by turning to the German on a short-term deal that was announced on Monday.

• Sport

  Everton v Liverpool: 5 of the best recent Merseyside Derbies

  It’s Everton v Liverpool this evening and Rafa Benitez’s first Merseyside Derby in charge of Everton comes with the Toffees and his old side Liverpool in sharply contrasting form. Saturday’s loss at Brentford means Everton, who started the season strongly, have taken just two points from seven Premier League games, while the Reds have only lost once since April.

• Sport

  Chelsea v Manchester United: 5 key players

  The post-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era starts on Sunday with Chelsea v Manchester United and the Red Devils’ caretaker manager, Michael Carrick, having a tough task to come up with a plan to take on the league leaders.

• Sport

  5 candidates to be the next Manchester United manager

  In the end, losing 4-1 away to Watford was the final straw for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Manchester United finally pulled the trigger over the weekend, the Norwegian having been very fortunate to survive twin humiliations to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City recently and the hunt for the next Manchester United manager began.

• Sport

  Where does Mo Salah rank among the Premier League greats?

  Before the international break, Mo Salah became the most prolific African player in history of the Premier League, surpassing Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. It now goes without saying Salah is Africa’s greatest footballing export to these shores and it is also arguable he is the best player on the planet right now.

• Sport

  How will the Qatar World Cup affect the Premier League?

  Over the international break, the Premier League confirmed its scheduling for next season which will be interrupted by the Qatar World Cup. The campaign will kick off on August 6, with the final round of matches set for the usual simultaneous kick-off on May 28.

• Sport

  How far can David Moyes take West Ham?

  West Ham and David Moyes were widely expected to take a step back this season. Losing Jesse Lingard after the star loan signing returned to Manchester United was thought to be a blow, while the commitment of European matches on Thursdays was also forecast to have an impact too.

• Sport

  Were the Dean Smith and Daniel Farke sackings unfair?

  International breaks always spell danger for under-pressure managers and both Dean Smith and Daniel Farke los t their jobs this month. Smith had led Aston Villa to the Premier League and kept them in the top-flight but a run of five straight losses was enough to persuade the club suits to pull the trigger.

• Sport

  Manchester Derby: Five of the best clashes at Old Trafford

  There is a huge amount at stake in this weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stay of execution after United’s humiliation at home to Liverpool was semi-justified as the Red Devils routed Tottenham 3-0, leading to Nuno Espirito Santo’s sacking.

• Sport

  5 potential January signings for Antonio Conte at Tottenham

  Tottenham have wasted no time in appointing Antonio Conte as their new head coach, with rumours already flying around about the potential identity of his first signings. Conte was strongly linked with Spurs back in the summer but a messy, protracted search for someone to sit in the hot seat ended up with Nuno Espirito Santo getting the job instead.

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